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Alan Lewrie #14
Troubled Waters
The fourteenth tale in Dewey Lambdin’s stirring classic naval adventure series.
Spring of 1800 and Captain Alan Lewrie, fresh from victory in the South Atlantic, is reckoned a hero on a par with Nelson in all the papers. Back in England he is fitting out
his new frigate, HMS Savage, the largest and best armed frigate he’s ever commanded. But you can’t leave Lewrie ashore too long without trouble arising.
A Jamaican court has tried him in absentia and sentenced him to hang for the theft of a dozen slaves to man his old ship HMS Proteus. A crime, or was it liberation, as his London barrister argues? The vengeful slave owner Hugh Beauman has come to London to seek Lewrie’s end, with or without the majesty of the Law!
Then there’s the matter of those anonymous letters sent to his wife Caroline, serving up the most florid lies… along with some unfortunately florid truths. Lewrie appeals to the retired FO spy, Zachariah
Twigg, to ‘smoak out’ the had that guides the poison pen, even while wondering while Twigg seems so eager to help his legal case of a sudden. Is the devious old devil ready to sacrifice him for some motive of his own?
Troubled Waters , book fourteen in The Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures, is perfect for fans of David McDine, Bernard Cornwell and Patrick O’Brian.
‘You could get addicted to this series. Easily.’ New York Times Book Review
‘The best naval series since C. S. Forester . . . Recommended.’ Library Journal
‘Fast-moving. . . A hugely likeable hero, a huge cast of sharply drawn supporting characters: there's nothing missing. Wonderful stuff.’ Kirkus Reviews
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
129 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Dewey Lambdin
70 books278 followersDewey Lambdin (1945-2021 ) was an American nautical historical novelist. He was best known for his Alan Lewrie naval adventure series, set during the Napoleonic Wars. Besides the Alan Lewrie series, he was also the author of What Lies Buried: a novel of Old Cape Fear.
A self-proclaimed "Navy Brat," Lambdin spent a good deal of his early days on both coasts of the U.S.A., and overseas duty stations, with his father. His father enlisted as a Seaman Recruit in 1930, was "mustanged" from the lower deck (from Yeoman chief Petty Officer) at Notre Dame in '42, and was career Navy until May of 1954, when he was killed at sea aboard the USS Bennington CVA-20 (see below), on which he served as Administrative Officer, 5th in line-of-command (posthumous Lieutenant Commander).
Lambdin himself attended Castle Heights Military Academy, graduated in 1962, and was destined to be the family's first "ring-knocker" from the U.S. Naval Academy, "... until he realised that physics, calculus, and counting higher than ten were bigger than he was."[1] He studied at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, majoring in Liberal arts and Theatre, where he was published in The Theme Vault in 1963, also reprinted in a national textbook, which whetted his appetite for writing. However, he failed his degree. He finally graduated with a degree in Film & TV Production from Montana State University, Bozeman, in 1969. This was considered at the time to be the McHale's Navy of the academic set, so the nautical influence was still at work. He has worked for a network affiliate TV station as a producer/director for twelve years, an independent station as production manager and senior director/writer/ producer for three years, all in Memphis, and as a writer/producer with a Nashville advertising/production facility, or in free-lance camera, lighting and writing.
He has been a sailor since 1976 and spends his free time working and sailing on his beloved sloop Wind Dancer, with a special taste for cruising the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Lambdin has thus far resisted the temptation to trade his beloved typewriter for a computer. He lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
He was a member of the U.S. Naval Institute, a Friend of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England; Cousteau Society; the former American Film Institute; and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
-Wikipedia
Mr Lambdin passed away on July 26, 2021 at the age of 76.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/deweyl...
A self-proclaimed "Navy Brat," Lambdin spent a good deal of his early days on both coasts of the U.S.A., and overseas duty stations, with his father. His father enlisted as a Seaman Recruit in 1930, was "mustanged" from the lower deck (from Yeoman chief Petty Officer) at Notre Dame in '42, and was career Navy until May of 1954, when he was killed at sea aboard the USS Bennington CVA-20 (see below), on which he served as Administrative Officer, 5th in line-of-command (posthumous Lieutenant Commander).
Lambdin himself attended Castle Heights Military Academy, graduated in 1962, and was destined to be the family's first "ring-knocker" from the U.S. Naval Academy, "... until he realised that physics, calculus, and counting higher than ten were bigger than he was."[1] He studied at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, majoring in Liberal arts and Theatre, where he was published in The Theme Vault in 1963, also reprinted in a national textbook, which whetted his appetite for writing. However, he failed his degree. He finally graduated with a degree in Film & TV Production from Montana State University, Bozeman, in 1969. This was considered at the time to be the McHale's Navy of the academic set, so the nautical influence was still at work. He has worked for a network affiliate TV station as a producer/director for twelve years, an independent station as production manager and senior director/writer/ producer for three years, all in Memphis, and as a writer/producer with a Nashville advertising/production facility, or in free-lance camera, lighting and writing.
He has been a sailor since 1976 and spends his free time working and sailing on his beloved sloop Wind Dancer, with a special taste for cruising the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Lambdin has thus far resisted the temptation to trade his beloved typewriter for a computer. He lived in Nashville, Tennessee.
He was a member of the U.S. Naval Institute, a Friend of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England; Cousteau Society; the former American Film Institute; and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
-Wikipedia
Mr Lambdin passed away on July 26, 2021 at the age of 76.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/deweyl...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 17, 2018
Dewey Lambdin's Alan Lewrie novels sail some well-traveled seas -- naval adventures during the Napoleonic wars. And although his series protagonist displays more than the requisite amount of derring-do, dash and martial heroism, Lambdin seems to have looked less to Forester, Pope and O'Brian for his inspiration than to Fraser. The results aren't always the best.
The series began in 1989 with Lewrie as a reluctant midshipman in The King's Coat. Over the course of 17 novels, he has risen in rank and reputation, both fair and foul. Brave in battle, he's a scoundrel in his personal life. In 2008's Troubled Waters, he finally manages to convince his wife that the anonymous letters accusing him of an affair with his ward might be untrue (they are). But his actual affairs remain and she more or less turns him out anyway. Lewrie also has to deal with the fallout of his previous actions in freeing slaves in Jamaica -- their former owners have accused him of theft and are seeking to have him convicted and hanged. So he is relieved when he is sent to join the blockade of France in command of the frigate Savage. There, Lewrie is less than content to cruise up and down the coast and hatches a plan to wreck a French fort under construction.
Like his creation, Lambdin is best in action. Himself a sailor, he has a good knowledge of the sea and also knows how to keep the battle and combat scenes humming. He's less good ashore, and one of the problems Troubled Waters has is the time spent there instead of on deck. Another of the problems is that Lambdin writes in a chatty, gossipy tone that somehow manages to make the entire book one long snigger -- Fraser's Harry Flashman was a coward (Lewrie isn't) and was even more lecherous but Fraser avoided the adolescent tenor that Lambdin apparently relishes. Although less obvious at first, it increases throughout the series and had put me off of it until I found Troubled Waters cheap at a used bookstore and thought I'd give them another chance. I'll probably be skipping them again.
Among the cover blurbs praising the Alan Lewrie series are one by James Nelson, himself an author of historical nautical fiction, and Bernard Cornwell, author of the Richard Sharpe novels that cover the life of a British Army soldier during the same years as the Lewrie books. I'm almost certain these praises were written earlier in the series when Lambdin had more of a focus on Lewrie the fighter rather than Lewrie the lecher and the books were simply better overall. Cornwell's cover blurb ends with this sentence, describing how he felt about the series: "I wish I had written them."
I wish you'd written them too, Mr. Cornwell.
Original available here.
The series began in 1989 with Lewrie as a reluctant midshipman in The King's Coat. Over the course of 17 novels, he has risen in rank and reputation, both fair and foul. Brave in battle, he's a scoundrel in his personal life. In 2008's Troubled Waters, he finally manages to convince his wife that the anonymous letters accusing him of an affair with his ward might be untrue (they are). But his actual affairs remain and she more or less turns him out anyway. Lewrie also has to deal with the fallout of his previous actions in freeing slaves in Jamaica -- their former owners have accused him of theft and are seeking to have him convicted and hanged. So he is relieved when he is sent to join the blockade of France in command of the frigate Savage. There, Lewrie is less than content to cruise up and down the coast and hatches a plan to wreck a French fort under construction.
Like his creation, Lambdin is best in action. Himself a sailor, he has a good knowledge of the sea and also knows how to keep the battle and combat scenes humming. He's less good ashore, and one of the problems Troubled Waters has is the time spent there instead of on deck. Another of the problems is that Lambdin writes in a chatty, gossipy tone that somehow manages to make the entire book one long snigger -- Fraser's Harry Flashman was a coward (Lewrie isn't) and was even more lecherous but Fraser avoided the adolescent tenor that Lambdin apparently relishes. Although less obvious at first, it increases throughout the series and had put me off of it until I found Troubled Waters cheap at a used bookstore and thought I'd give them another chance. I'll probably be skipping them again.
Among the cover blurbs praising the Alan Lewrie series are one by James Nelson, himself an author of historical nautical fiction, and Bernard Cornwell, author of the Richard Sharpe novels that cover the life of a British Army soldier during the same years as the Lewrie books. I'm almost certain these praises were written earlier in the series when Lambdin had more of a focus on Lewrie the fighter rather than Lewrie the lecher and the books were simply better overall. Cornwell's cover blurb ends with this sentence, describing how he felt about the series: "I wish I had written them."
I wish you'd written them too, Mr. Cornwell.
Original available here.
August 8, 2021
This was ok. The first half when he's stuck on land wasn't great and just recounted a summary of the plot line of the series so far. Once out at sea on blockade of the Gironde we get a bit more action. Basically we recount some other bits of previous plot twists by happening to be sailing alongside some previous characters. As a more senior post captain now Lewrie has to think more strategy - something that doesn't come naturally for our lead from the front (mainly the groin) captain! In this there is some interestimg psychology about trusting in the actions of others.
An alright member of the series and I want to find out what happens so will keep reading, but not as great as earlier offerings.
An alright member of the series and I want to find out what happens so will keep reading, but not as great as earlier offerings.
November 20, 2021
Lewrie is in legal difficulties echoing the dilemma of Jack Aubrey who was accused of financial fraud. I have to think this plot development is another nod to Patrick O’Brien. But Lewrie’s alleged crime is somewhat different. He is accused by the Bowman family of stealing slaves which, in fact, he sort of did. The Bowman’s engineered a trial in Jamaica which sentenced our hero to hang. Mr Twigg is once again involved organizing Lewrie’s defense and marshaling the anti slavery forces in English society to make Lewrie somewhat of a hero in London. This is the fourteenth book in the series. So, it turns out we are halfway through Capt Alan Lewrie’s career which must end, I suppose, when the author died just a few years ago. Lewrie gets a new first Lieutenant after his former first Anthony Langley is promoted to Commander and, incidentally, marries Lewrie’s French ward Sophie who he rescued in the evacuation of Toulon and whose cousin extracted Lewrie’s promise to care for her as he lay dying. In a cleverly written ward room scene the officers of the frigate Sauvage brief Lieutenant Urcott in detail on Lewrie’s naval career to that point providing the reader with a neat summary of all that has gone on before. Twigg hustles Lewrie to sea to keep him out of harms way. In blockade duty off the Coast of France Lewrie is made a squadron commander which puts him over Lieutenant Kenyon who was Lieutenant when Lewrie was a midshipman. Kenyon was a homosexual which under the Articles of War was a hanging offense in the Royal Navy. Kenyon, now suffering from the ravages of venereal disease commands and unhappy ship. Lewrie, suddenly a war planner, comes up with a scheme to attach two French forts at the mouth of La Gironde river which the Admiral endorses and is successfully executed except for the death of Kenyon and some of his favorites. He may have been fragged (as we use to say in Vietnam) by his own crew members. But the higher ups decide not to pursue this line of questioning. At the end of tale Lewrie is back in court, surrounded by his old crew members which is eerily reminiscent of the scene in the Aubrey/Maturin series where Jack ends up in the stocks surrounded by seamen who have served under him, protecting him from the normal abuses of rotten eggs and vegetables. Lewrie is almost certain to prevail but this book gives Mr. Lambdin the opportunity to write about the British court system at the time and Kenyon provides the chance to describe nineteenth century attitudes about men who preferred the windward passage. Because of the court case Lewrie has lost command of the Sauvage and is worried that he will now be beached. A bright note is the circus has come to town and the lovely Eudoxia has made contact.
March 9, 2018
The Alan Lewrie is one of the best series of books set in the British navy during The Age Of Sail (Napoleonic wars), and this is good installment in the series. It starts very slowly, with Lewrie on shore waiting for his new ship to complete fitting out for sea. Lewrie must spend a lot of time, money and worry with his legal woes, stemming from his activities in Jamaica some years before, when he "recruited" a number of slaves on a plantation there to fill out his crew. The aggrieved plantation owner has in the meantime had Lewrie convicted in a local court of theft of his slaves, resulting in a death sentence. This must be confirmed by a proper British court in London, where slavery has been outlawed for a number of years. Eventually, without final resolution of his legal situation, Lewrie is sent to sea to aid in the blockade of the French coast, in this case near Bordeaux, at the harbor of the Gironde. It is at this point that the typical Lewrie-at-sea adventure truly gets started. As a Post-Captain he can no longer be involved in individual actions but must direct the actions of a flotilla of smaller naval vessels, and there the fun begins. Finally. An enjoyable book to read, although up to the action filled standards of many of the earlier books in the series.
May 7, 2021
-4.5- Not a perfect Lewrie (ain't that the truth!) but a really excellent novel overall. Some of the reviewers here did not enjoy the dive into the labyrinthine legal system that was England in the Napoleonic era. I am not one of those people, I throughly enjoyed how Lambdin weaved the narrative of Lewrie's plight with the arbitrary and capricious old bailey justice system. The second half of the novel had plenty of the "Me hearty" and swords clashing battle Lambdin is known for in this series. I will say I am looking forward to a resolution on Lewrie's legal situation with the stolen slaves (to be freed not further enslavement). However, enough already on the will he hang or won't he! We know he doesn't there are another ten plus books in the series, with many an epic naval battle ahead. Read this series if you are a fan of nautical fiction. A naval Flashman if there ever was one!
August 11, 2021
I really do like Lewrie. However, the younger rogue scamp version of him is more fun than the older salt and pepper version. I did like the armed ride into London with his entourage and the battle/conflict scene near the end was mostly solid. The never-ending saga of the stolen/freed slaves is getting tiresome as we know he'll be ultimately exonerated and not hang. So please, no more tedious dining sequences with fat lawyers. The crumbling marriage interludes feel like an afterthought and I sure hope this was the last chapter of that dreariness. The Kenyon subplot did add some color but the way it resolved was a bit too tidy though the Navy brass chatter at the end of the book did feel satisfactory. I am hoping that the next book frees our hero from the shackles of some of the dead calm water storylines and that he gets some wind in his sails.
February 26, 2020
Just as the title promises, these are troubled times for our hero Alan, and still Dewey navigates them entertainingly. This book wouldn't be much fun for anyone who hadn't been reading these in order; standing alone, it does not. But I am working my way through, and am already looking forward to the next one.
March 21, 2025
Was There a War
I’ve read the majority of the Alan Lewrie naval adventures and while historically acceptable and entertaining, I’ve really had enough of Lewrie’s home life, drawn out sexual escapades and legal problems. Even if his time spent with the woman in New Orleans was very descriptively written.
More of the naval life and battles and less land life, please.
I’ve read the majority of the Alan Lewrie naval adventures and while historically acceptable and entertaining, I’ve really had enough of Lewrie’s home life, drawn out sexual escapades and legal problems. Even if his time spent with the woman in New Orleans was very descriptively written.
More of the naval life and battles and less land life, please.
September 19, 2018
This entry in the series seems to be more of a transition story than some of the others, we settle some business with characters previously introduced and see Lewrie for the first time as a realistic admiral in the making.
October 17, 2018
Quite a large number of people going to extremes to support Lewrie. Seems a stretch. There is some interesting information about the abolitionist movement. Lewrie is certainly making a name for himself, both good and bad. This book is a good complement to the story and is worth the read.
April 12, 2021
Another good yarn
Enjoyable tale,a little long in the telling of previous Lawrie adventures,but for some who haven't read them acceptable.Still a good read and onto the next instalment.
Enjoyable tale,a little long in the telling of previous Lawrie adventures,but for some who haven't read them acceptable.Still a good read and onto the next instalment.
January 22, 2019
The legal battle drags on and on !! Get back to sea.
April 15, 2020
Been away from the Lewrie series for a while and a great book to pick up to bet back into into the series.
March 21, 2022
The Royal Navy makes Alan captain of a ship then takes it away, If I was Alan, I would become a pirate.
February 19, 2023
Back to his old form - Captain Alan Lewrie at his best thanks to his pen master, Dewey Lambdin.
September 15, 2024
Lewrie is back at sea, for the most part, and the book is better for it. Starts with a good 'recap' of the first dozen books by way of introducing some new officers to their Captain.
October 4, 2013
'Troubled Waters' is the 14th in a series about Alan Lewrie, now a captain in his Majesty's Navy of the late 18thC. Rollicking is the only applicable adjective. The book abounds in the zesty, hearty, uninhibited Georgian life pre the Regency. The story is a meaty adventure with lots of sword play and thoughts of sex, a truly hilarious yet horrifying look at the justice (more like injustice system) and some fascinating insights into a naval gentleman's life. Captain Lewrie is no saint, but the novel contains a clever explanation of condoms and 18thC wives' fears of pregnancy and childbirth so the reader is able to fit a man's mistresses into this scene with more understanding.
Author Lambdin writers of the sea and the navy with comfortable ease, allowing the reader to believe in his created world. He clearly enjoys the mischief his character gets into and obviously has a large readership eagerly awaiting the next novel. Anyone who likes naval historical novels should enjoy this and anyone wanting a good introduction to the 18thC couldn't do better than to read this book. It's a ripping good read.
January 22, 2011
An improvement over the previous book in the series but I am having trouble empathizing with the main character lately. In the early books of the series the protagonist, Alan Lewrie, was able to keep me turning the pages with his bold actions and amorous antics; but in the most recent installments, his character has matured, as we all should, into a thoughtful and responsible (well, more responsible than he had been) leader of men. Unfortunately, Lamdin has not provided his main character with the depth of personality to carry it off without losing much of his boyish charm. Could the series be getting too long? The Library just acquired the latest installment. We'll see if Dewey Lambdin can bring Post Captain Alan Lewrie out of his torpor.
March 14, 2008
Like most of the historical novels I prefer, this one's not an hysterical bodice-ripper. Hero's a rogue. Life aboard the 18th c man o' war doesn't smell so bad in the captain's quarters. And amidst the jolly fun (and occasional slaughter of the dirty - pick your enemy, but usually crapauds) you get - with the better of them -- some fascinating etymology. For instance they go to "smoak out" the French. (Not "smoke out" the terrorists.) OK, so now I have to check my dictionaries of 18th Brit slang to fact check Lambdin.
October 16, 2009
It is not an easy read for me; however, it dose posses a certain style of interest about is pages. In order to get into reading this book use of terms, I had to read the first chapter over just to get my mind set to comprehend the writers’ jargon for the late 1800's England. I am more than 1/2 way through the book and every chapter draws me deeper into its rapture and glory. I can't wait to find out all the on going plots work themselves out.
November 1, 2015
Great story, HORRIBLE PROOFING!!
Another fantastic tale of Alan Lawrie in an equally awesome series. Great fun for fans of C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brien.
The only downside to this book is the TERRIBLE punctuation and spelling, obviously the fault of whoever prepared this book for kindle, not the author.
Sidenote for the author: Pogey Bait means candy...
Another fantastic tale of Alan Lawrie in an equally awesome series. Great fun for fans of C.S. Forester and Patrick O'Brien.
The only downside to this book is the TERRIBLE punctuation and spelling, obviously the fault of whoever prepared this book for kindle, not the author.
Sidenote for the author: Pogey Bait means candy...
December 2, 2021
Good: author's wrap up at the end of the book; John Lee's narration; Lewrie took some time off wenching.
Less good: a lot of reference to prev plots and people--seemed like a quick way to write a book. This however is not all bad.
Kendran's arc ends. Beauman trial arc moves on. Udovia reappears at end.
Less good: a lot of reference to prev plots and people--seemed like a quick way to write a book. This however is not all bad.
Kendran's arc ends. Beauman trial arc moves on. Udovia reappears at end.
January 30, 2020
Another spellbinf
Once again a stunning tale. Alan Lewrie is sent away from England to avoid complications 're his court case. Whilst in charge of a small flotilla he masterminds a stupendous raid ashore which is highly successful. A!not the way he comes into contact with a number of old friends and at least one foe. A very good story and I look on forward to the next
Once again a stunning tale. Alan Lewrie is sent away from England to avoid complications 're his court case. Whilst in charge of a small flotilla he masterminds a stupendous raid ashore which is highly successful. A!not the way he comes into contact with a number of old friends and at least one foe. A very good story and I look on forward to the next
October 23, 2021
This one spends a lot of time telling readers what has happened -- almost as if a new set or readers suddenly jumped into the series. There is an ongoing cost case (which has its moments) and the usual battle just before the end. I like the series -- not Patrick O'Brian obviously -- but better than most along these lines.
August 11, 2008
Too much time spent dealing with the main character's legal troubles, and not enough time spent being a "naval adventure". It won't stop me from picking up the next book in the series when it arrives in the library, but a weaker effort in the series.
May 18, 2011
Lewrie has matured a good deal by this entry in the series. plus the fact that he has to spend most of his time with his wife in this entry, limits his rantipoling that can be tiring to some readers at times.
March 25, 2012
I read the entire series largely back-to-back (my local public library is well-stocked). One of the great things about this series is that we get to watch Alan Lewrie, the main character, grow up from a callow, self-indulgent teenager to a mature, thoughtful, and responsible adult.
August 30, 2012
If read as a stand-alone book this one would be rather tedious. A lot of the book is spent on the legal problems that have culminated over time as accounted for in past books. This one moves a little slower than some of the others. The star of this book for me was Mr. Twigg.
February 18, 2008
ah... not that interesting... hard to follow characters... didn't finish it.
April 8, 2014
This, the book before it and after it are just retreads of the earlier books, no where near as good
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews